Contemporary Art at the New Frontier

Exhibition Statement: Heart of Fire

Tina Bluefield Heart of Fire

Tina Bluefield’s latest exhibition at BoxoFFICE shows the artist stepping into her unique vision and gives the viewer a glimpse into the studio life of this talented painter. Building on her proven talents as a landscape artist, Bluefield explores the boundaries of shape and color in her search for the true expression of the inspiration she draws from nature and the human context.

The exhibition pairs up some works to show the push and pull of this process. The long lines and earthy tones of Deep Canyon are contrasted with the captivating imagery of Dawn with Large Rain Cloud. The latter painting, clearly representational of the landscape, pushes at abstraction as it dwells in a non-specific space between desert and lush bog. What is certain is the masterful use of color to depict the light and capture the very essence of the moment. The contrast of palette and shapes between the two canvasses reveals the artist’s path from fixed certainty to essential energy.

Existing right on the edge of abstraction, Cloud Study, presents an atmospheric field of white and grey with a long spectrum of hues between. The deftness of surface and color blending demonstrates the artist’s mastery of the oil medium.

A series of small works on paper, the Play series, provides access to the energy and surprise of the artist’s studio. Here Bluefield reveals just that – the playful way in which she allows color, brush and palette to play across a surface in her exploration of the fine boundaries that surround abstraction. These works build from simple tones of grey and white to a complex stain of earthy, or bloody, reds and browns.

Red becomes the transition to the main space of the exhibition where a series of monotypes contrasts squares of the color with wonderful hues of blue into black. A burning area of reds, oranges and yellows becomes the defining entry point to the large canvas from which the exhibition takes its title. Heart of Fire contains an explosive energy. A definite area that appears to be inspired by the very core of the world we inhabit is surrounded by more contemplative fields of almost transparent color which hint at the thin skin that contains and obscures the power of our burning desires.

The exhibition then transitions to a more contemplative mood with a series of canvasses that hold large areas of darkness expertly blended with contrasting blues and greens. Again, a pair of works, Dark Monument and Dawn, are presented side by side to contrast the figurative and abstract poles of Bluefield’s practice. Inspired by the same moment in the cycle of nature, the works demonstrate a dynamic tension between the heaviness of darkness and the inspiration of a thin line of light.

Heart of Fire shows the promise of a dedication and talent that Bluefield is bringing to her practice as well as the confidence that is allowing an independent spirit to be manifest.